Urafiki Link - Update from Ms. Bain

October 17: What’s your plan after graduation?

Hello Bodwell staff & students,

The past few weeks have been very busy in the schools, with students and teachers preparing for the upcoming national examinations. It is nearing the end of the school year here - in Kenya, the school year begins in January and ends in November.

Tree Planting

Who cares about the environment? Kenyans do! Environmental club in Kenya is one of the most popular clubs currently. Of the total 200 members in the three schools, 80 active members were chosen to take a field trip to a nearby plantation.

Maai Mahiu means ‘hot water’ in Kikuyu – the irony is that most residents of Maai Mahiu have very little water, and there is not a single hot water tank in town (to my knowledge). Water is a scarce commodity, collected as rainfall from gutters on buildings and stored in tanks. If the rainwater is not enough, we buy from the donkey-cart entrepreneurs who carry jerrycans of water from those who have boreholes to those who don’t have. One of the reason for the shortage of water is deforestation – the forest has been slowly depleted to be used as firewood by the locals.

In addition to visiting a plantation, the environmental clubs have been very active, preparing potting bags for their tree nurseries. One of the groups has already prepared a seed bed for the tree seeds to germinate; all of the clubs hope that by April they will have at least 1,500 tree seedlings ready to donate to students and to sell in the community.

Jambo – Tuende Pamoja!

There are three parts to our connection with these schools in Kenya: greetings/introduction (Jambo), sharing extracurricular activities (Tuende), and sharing curricular introductions (Pamoja). “Jambo”, the introductions, has been completed for Kenyan students (see this website!) and are now being send to Kenya via email. “Tuende” extracurricular activities have been recorded in Kenya and can now be viewed on this page. “Pamoja”, interactions between classes, is just beginning. So far, we’ve recorded some science labs and in particular the dissection of a rabbit. Mr. Ng’s Geography class are sending weather reports, and students here will be returning the same reports.

RAFIKI Gifts

The gifts for a ‘friend’ (Rafiki) in Kenya, which many of you were kind enough to give before the Bodwell students left in August of this year, have now been distributed. I have been overwhelmed by so many letters of thanks from students here – thanks for the sweaters, socks, school books, and sports balls which have been donated. Thank you again to those who gave!

Planning for the Future

As I come to know the stories of people here in Maai Mahiu, I learn more about the circumstances of youth in this community.

What are your plans for after graduation? These are the questions that parents, friends, aunts, and uncles ask every day.

If you come to Kenya, don’t ask that question.

Why? For most of these students, any ‘plans’ they’ve had are not possible – due to lack of funds.

· Moihaki is an intelligent woman with an interest in dressmaking; she cannot afford school fees, and so works as a housemaid in the home of a relative.

· Eliot is a very bright boy with a knack for computer programming; he has no access to computer and no-one to pay fees for a computer training course, so he looks for casual labour whereever he can find it.

· Maina is a gregarious, friendly boy with an interest in teaching elementary school; he is unable to pay house rent of $20 per month, let alone begin college.

· Njeri is a natural leader, a compassionate friend to those in need; she left school in grade 10 and is now seeking furtther training as a peer counselor for sex trade workers.
(* Names have been changed but the stories correspond to individuals I know*)

In Maai Mahiu, approximately 70% of the adult population is infected with HIV/AIDS. That means that of the list above, of four people, three are likely to be HIV positive.

Why? For unemployed young women in Maai Mahiu, the most common occupation is the sex trade. Many young women drop out of school due to early pregnancy or marriage. In the entire history of secondary schools in Maai Mahiu, not one girl has qualified to attend university. For unemployed young men, the 'night-life' of Maai Mahiu is a distraction and is also associated with illegal business of various sorts - stolen goods from passing trucks, drug trade, etc.

What can we do about all of this? Where can we go from here?

All of the individuals described above are part of a youth group in Maai Mahiu – PCYI, Partners for Change Youth Initiative. Members of this group promote HIV/AIDS awareness in their community through interactive theatre and games in public areas. PCYI members need support and encouragement, especially if they want to expand their education programs into high schools.

Second, school fees. Many of the unemployed youth have not been able to pay school fees for high school (public schools charge fees of about $400 per year). Either they have finished but not received their certificate, or they have dropped out of school. If they are able to pay their school fees, they can at least receive their graduation certificate and be prepared to move on.

Finally, post-secondary support, those who do want to further their studies have no place to look for grants, scholarships, or loans. Mr. Chiu’s Entrepreneurship class has talked about setting up a ‘student loan’ program for students who want to learn practical skill such as tailoring, knitting, carpentry, or computer skills.

I am confident that with the support of friends in Canada, we can begin to think of more ways to support and encourage the hard-working students of Maai Mahiu that they can fulfill their potential.

Ms. Bain